❓ Minister announces $910,000 for Swan and Canning Rivers shoreline rehabilitation across seven local government areas, enabled by the Swan River Trust merger. Funding supports river wall replacements, weed control, and revegetation projects.
AnsweredQoN 622Legislative Assembly
QuestionView source ↗
SWAN AND
CANNING RIVERS — SHORELINE REHABILITATION
622. Mrs G.J. GODFREY to the
Minister for Environment:
The minister made an announcement this morning regarding
additional funding for shoreline rehabilitation works within the Swan and
Canning Rivers. Can the minister please provide details on this important
announcement?
CANNING RIVERS — SHORELINE REHABILITATION
622. Mrs G.J. GODFREY to the
Minister for Environment:
The minister made an announcement this morning regarding
additional funding for shoreline rehabilitation works within the Swan and
Canning Rivers. Can the minister please provide details on this important
announcement?
AnswerView source ↗
I thank members very much. I first thank the member for
Belmont for the question. In the short time she has been this place she has
been an absolutely fantastic advocate for not only that area of Belmont, but
well and truly in my ear regarding issues to do with the riverbank.
Several members interjected.
The SPEAKER :
Members!
Mr A.P. JACOB :
This is what we expect of a member giving strong local representation.
Several members interjected.
The SPEAKER :
Members! Member for Kwinana!
Mr A.P. JACOB : I
will get to —
The SPEAKER :
Minister for Environment, the opposition is not happy with your preamble; can
you get on with the answer.
Mr
A.P. JACOB : As the question intimated, I today announced a further $910 000
that we have been able to make available for shoreline restorations across
seven local government areas. This funding has been made available internally
and it has been made available because of that issue we canvassed so well
yesterday—that is, bringing the Swan River Trust with its 58 employees
into an agency 30 times the size, which gives us far larger budgets and far
larger economies of scale and opportunities to do fantastic things like put
nearly an extra $1 million into shoreline rehabilitation.
Mr
D.J. Kelly interjected.
The
SPEAKER : Member for Bassendean!
Mr
A.P. JACOB : This makes an absolute mockery of opposition attempts to paint
the merger of the Swan River Trust with the Department of Parks and Wildlife as
an apparent cost-cutting exercise that is claimed could reduce funding for
river works. The member for Gosnells made comments that this would be an
extremely dangerous move that was economic vandalism at its worst. The member
for Maylands, I think legitimately, questioned who would establish partnerships
with local governments to restore foreshores going forward.
Mr P.B. Watson interjected.
The SPEAKER :
Member for Albany!
Mr A.P. JACOB : The
answer to that is very clear—it will be the new dedicated conservation
agency, the Department of Parks and Wildlife, and this funding will all be in
partnership with local government. The member for Fremantle made comments that
this would result in fewer, not more, resources put into foreshore restoration.
As we are clearly showing today, this action will result in more resources, not
fewer, going into foreshore restoration. The Liberal–National
government is committed to continuing this important program to progressively
rehabilitate foreshore areas, providing improved safety —
Dr A.D. Buti interjected.
The SPEAKER :
Member for Armadale, I call you to order for the first time. Minister, can you
come to a conclusion, please.
Mr
A.P. JACOB : Certainly, Mr Speaker. The Liberal–National government
is well and truly committed to progressively rehabilitating areas of our
foreshore that have been exposed to erosion, and is also committed to improving
the safety and the amenity of the shoreline areas. These rehabilitation works
will also control invasive weeds as well a stabilising shorelines and repairing
river walls. We will also revegetate foreshore areas at nine sites as a result
of this announcement today.
I will very quickly touch on two
major projects. One is in the City of South Perth, as has been, again, very
well advocated for by the member for South Perth. Today we announced $500 000
to go into river wall replacements at Mends Street jetty. This $500 000 will be
matched in kind by the City of South Perth.
Mr D.A. Templeman interjected.
The SPEAKER :
Member for Mandurah!
Mr A.P. JACOB :
This will allow us to repair those river walls from the Mends Street jetty to
the South Perth Esplanade car park. That will be the first of two payments,
because there was a very clear election commitment that the government, and the
member for South Perth, gave. This commitment will now be met. As we have seen,
this is the first instalment, with the second instalment to follow. One of the
other two large projects announced today is a further $200 000 for the Ascot
Racecourse foreshore, something that the member for Belmont has well advocated
for. This will result in erosion mitigation and foreshore stabilisation to
protect public access along the Swan River. There are other local government
recipients—all of those mentioned yesterday. The City of Gosnells will
benefit, the City of Armadale will benefit, the Town of Victoria Park will
benefit, the City of Swan will benefit and so will the City of Canning.
Mr T.R. Buswell :
Unprecedented!
Mr A.P. JACOB : I
thank the Treasurer!
As today's announcement has shown, these foreshadowed
legislative amendments and machinery-of-government changes will only enhance
this government's capacity to address river park management in the
future. The Liberal–National government remains firmly committed to
ensuring a wide range of programs continues to be delivered to maintain and
protect the health of our Swan and Canning Rivers.
Belmont for the question. In the short time she has been this place she has
been an absolutely fantastic advocate for not only that area of Belmont, but
well and truly in my ear regarding issues to do with the riverbank.
Several members interjected.
The SPEAKER :
Members!
Mr A.P. JACOB :
This is what we expect of a member giving strong local representation.
Several members interjected.
The SPEAKER :
Members! Member for Kwinana!
Mr A.P. JACOB : I
will get to —
The SPEAKER :
Minister for Environment, the opposition is not happy with your preamble; can
you get on with the answer.
Mr
A.P. JACOB : As the question intimated, I today announced a further $910 000
that we have been able to make available for shoreline restorations across
seven local government areas. This funding has been made available internally
and it has been made available because of that issue we canvassed so well
yesterday—that is, bringing the Swan River Trust with its 58 employees
into an agency 30 times the size, which gives us far larger budgets and far
larger economies of scale and opportunities to do fantastic things like put
nearly an extra $1 million into shoreline rehabilitation.
Mr
D.J. Kelly interjected.
The
SPEAKER : Member for Bassendean!
Mr
A.P. JACOB : This makes an absolute mockery of opposition attempts to paint
the merger of the Swan River Trust with the Department of Parks and Wildlife as
an apparent cost-cutting exercise that is claimed could reduce funding for
river works. The member for Gosnells made comments that this would be an
extremely dangerous move that was economic vandalism at its worst. The member
for Maylands, I think legitimately, questioned who would establish partnerships
with local governments to restore foreshores going forward.
Mr P.B. Watson interjected.
The SPEAKER :
Member for Albany!
Mr A.P. JACOB : The
answer to that is very clear—it will be the new dedicated conservation
agency, the Department of Parks and Wildlife, and this funding will all be in
partnership with local government. The member for Fremantle made comments that
this would result in fewer, not more, resources put into foreshore restoration.
As we are clearly showing today, this action will result in more resources, not
fewer, going into foreshore restoration. The Liberal–National
government is committed to continuing this important program to progressively
rehabilitate foreshore areas, providing improved safety —
Dr A.D. Buti interjected.
The SPEAKER :
Member for Armadale, I call you to order for the first time. Minister, can you
come to a conclusion, please.
Mr
A.P. JACOB : Certainly, Mr Speaker. The Liberal–National government
is well and truly committed to progressively rehabilitating areas of our
foreshore that have been exposed to erosion, and is also committed to improving
the safety and the amenity of the shoreline areas. These rehabilitation works
will also control invasive weeds as well a stabilising shorelines and repairing
river walls. We will also revegetate foreshore areas at nine sites as a result
of this announcement today.
I will very quickly touch on two
major projects. One is in the City of South Perth, as has been, again, very
well advocated for by the member for South Perth. Today we announced $500 000
to go into river wall replacements at Mends Street jetty. This $500 000 will be
matched in kind by the City of South Perth.
Mr D.A. Templeman interjected.
The SPEAKER :
Member for Mandurah!
Mr A.P. JACOB :
This will allow us to repair those river walls from the Mends Street jetty to
the South Perth Esplanade car park. That will be the first of two payments,
because there was a very clear election commitment that the government, and the
member for South Perth, gave. This commitment will now be met. As we have seen,
this is the first instalment, with the second instalment to follow. One of the
other two large projects announced today is a further $200 000 for the Ascot
Racecourse foreshore, something that the member for Belmont has well advocated
for. This will result in erosion mitigation and foreshore stabilisation to
protect public access along the Swan River. There are other local government
recipients—all of those mentioned yesterday. The City of Gosnells will
benefit, the City of Armadale will benefit, the Town of Victoria Park will
benefit, the City of Swan will benefit and so will the City of Canning.
Mr T.R. Buswell :
Unprecedented!
Mr A.P. JACOB : I
thank the Treasurer!
As today's announcement has shown, these foreshadowed
legislative amendments and machinery-of-government changes will only enhance
this government's capacity to address river park management in the
future. The Liberal–National government remains firmly committed to
ensuring a wide range of programs continues to be delivered to maintain and
protect the health of our Swan and Canning Rivers.
Explore WA Government Data
Search the full archive in the free dashboard, or query programmatically via API.
Explore more
Government Gazette
Appointments, regulatory notices, planning changes.
Hansard
Debates, questions, speeches and sentiment.
Tabled Papers
Reports and documents tabled in Parliament.
Committees
Committee profiles and recent reports.
Regulations
Subsidiary legislation with filters and summaries.
Bills
Proposed laws and parliamentary progress.
Acts
Current WA legislation and summaries.
Explanatory Memoranda
Bills with EMs (text/PDF) available.
Members
MP profiles, party breakdown and rankings.
Pollie Rankings
Data-driven rankings across 19 categories.
Amendment Chains
Track how schemes and regulations evolve over time.